N.Z. sergeapt shot

Press, 22 July 1980, Page 1

N.Z. sergeapt shot

NZPA WellingtonA New Zealand Army sergeant picnicking last week-end with his family at the Malaysian tourist resort of Desarii was killed when an armed robber opened fire, it was learnt yesterday. He was Sergeant Arthur James Yaxley, aged 29, of Kaikoura, ■ married, with two young daughters. According to the Malaysian police in the southern state of Johore, Sergeant Yaxley was on holiday with a colleague Staff-Ser-geant T. A. J. O’Neill, and their families.

On Saturday they were robbed by four men, two armed with pistols, and Sergeant Yaxley was shot in the eye. He died on the way to hospital. It was not immediately known why the robbers opened fire but the police have detained two suspects and recovered the two cars which belonged to the New Zealanders.

Sergeant Yaxley was section commander of the Mortar platoon, Ist Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, based at New Zealand SouthEast Asia Force headquarters in Singapore. His brother, Mr Ken Yaxley, of Kaikoura, said that Sergeant Yaxley, ac-

companied" by his wife, Sandra, and daqghters, Louise, aged seven, and Deanna, aged eight, had gone to ; Singapore in May. last year. It was his brother’s second overseas posting in the 15 years he had been in the Army.

Malaysian police are now hunting for two others who were in the robber gang.

“The identities of the two still at large are known to the police and it is only a question of time before they are picked up,” said a New Zealand Army spokesman in Singapore. . The New Zealanders, who were travelling in. two cars, left Desaru for a trip to a ; sandy - beach about 12kms away when they were confronted by four men, , two,; of them armed with pistols, said the Army spokesman.

Sergeant Yaxley was shot in the left eye after one of : the armed gang* sters ordered him .to go down on his knees. The gunman walked .over to Sergeant Yaxley and removed a wrist watch from the wounded soldier while his companions robbed the others of cash and jewellery.

The four gangsters took away the vehicles, leaving their victims stranded on the beach.. The cars were later recovered from two towns along the west coast, almost 160kms from the scene of the crime.

Staff-Sergeant O’bjeill, ran to a nearby plantation for help. Plantation workers drove Sergeant Yaxley to a nearby hospital, but he was dead on arrival, the spokesman said. Sergeant Yaxley’s father lives in Christchurch and his mother in Blenheim.